The present embodiments relate to a device and method for irradiating a target volume with a particle beam.
Particle therapy is an established way to treat tissue (e.g., malignant tumors). Irradiation methods are used in particle therapy, but may also be employed in non-therapeutic fields such as in research activities (e.g., for product development), or on non-living phantoms, bodies or materials.
Irradiation methods may utilize charged particles such as, for example, protons, carbon ions, or other ions. The charged particles are accelerated to high energies, formed into a particle beam, and directed to one or more irradiation rooms by way of a high-energy beam transport system. The particle beam irradiates the object having a target volume in one of the irradiation rooms.
In some cases, however, the target volume that is to be irradiated moves. During the irradiation of a patient, respiratory movement may, for example, cause the tumor to move. For research purposes, this type of movement may be simulated using model objects (e.g., phantoms).
A “gating” irradiation method is a known way to deal with the possibility that the target volume may move. Such a method monitors the motion of the target volume. The particle beam, with which the target volume is irradiated, operates as a function of the monitoring and is thus dependent on the status of the target volume. When the target volume is located within a suitable or desired region, the particle beam is turned on and may be used to irradiate the target volume. When the target volume is located outside of the suitable or desired region, the particle beam is turned off and may not be used for irradiation purposes. In this way, the particle beam is activated, for irradiation purposes, only when the target volume is located in a suitable region.
“Gating” irradiation methods of this type are known, for example, from Tsunashima Y. et al., titled “Efficiency of respiratory-gated delivery of synchrotron-based pulsed proton irradiation”, 2008 Phys. Med. Biol. 53 1947.